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Mike Munchak (AP)

Editor's note: With offseason work across the league coming to an end, the focus shifts to the steamy summer workouts ahead. To get you fully primed for the preseason and beyond, Sporting News provides in-depth looks at all 32 teams leading into training camp. Today:Tennessee Titans. Prediction: First, AFC South. Up next:Jacksonville Jaguars

Coming off a disappointing 6-10 season, the Titans promised there would be changes in 2013.

They didn't lie.

In the first month of free agency, the team signed 12 players with contracts totaling $105 million. Coach Mike Munchak changed the look of his coaching staff, adding controversial defensive guru Gregg Williams, among others. Then the team went out and added more fresh faces in the draft.

Munchak, perhaps more than anyone, knows this is a make-or-break season. Owner Bud Adams, who turned 90 in January, wants to win now.

"We all want to win it. We all know what our expectations are. I've been around the league long enough," Munchak says. "You've got to start building the right type of team. Going into my third year … I feel real good about the staff we have on offense and defense. I think we've got a good group together now. I think we're going to be a different type of team this year."

The Titans have some catching up to do, of course. The Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts were leaps and bounds ahead of the Titans in 2012. Whether the Titans can close the gap remains to be seen.

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Wright led the team in receptions as a rookie last season, but he did it quietly. The first-round pick averaged just 12.9 yards on his 64 catches. The Titans will find more ways to get the ball to Wright in space, and the result should be more big plays and more touchdowns.

"Jake Locker has a skill set that makes him dangerous to defend against. He's a good athlete who's capable of tucking the ball and running with it, and he also possesses a strong arm. Heading into his third NFL season, the expectation is the Titans will turn Locker loose more as a runner, which should make him even more of a weapon. He still has a chance to be a very successful quarterback, but there are also concerns aside from his injury history. He looked jittery during his first year as a starter, and when he was faced with extra pressure, he often bailed from the pocket too early and made bad throws.

"… Maybe it was because of his shoulder injury last season, but he also didn't seem to react well when he was hit early in games. The key is to rattle him early. Whether he handles those situations any better in 2013 remains to be seen, but he will certainly be tested."

INSIDE THE HEADSET

Mike Munchak freely admits he was learning on the fly in his first two seasons as a head coach. He should be more settled in now and better prepared. Munchak hasn't hesitated to take chances as a head coach—he has regularly rolled the dice on fourth down. He'll likely stay aggressive in 2013.

"Under (former head coach) Jeff Fisher, the Titans developed a reputation for being a team no one wanted to play. They were physical on both sides of the football and always well-prepared. The other team knew they'd played the Titans for several days after a game because of the physicality. The Titans have lost some of that in recent years. They're not physically intimidating on defense, and their style on offense isn't of the smash-mouth variety, either.

"The Titans have a dangerous back in Chris Johnson. He can still run, and if he breaks into the open field he's nearly impossible to catch. With a youngster in Jake Locker (at quarterback), however, they're inconsistent. Locker can be rattled if he struggles early, something he showed while playing banged-up last year. On defense, it's not a team that takes a whole lot of chances. Could that change with (new assistant) Gregg Williams aboard? … The Titans have one of the league's most athletic safeties in Michael Griffin, but he's not a very good decision-maker."

Dowell Loggains took control of a sinking ship when he assumed offensive coordinator duties from Chris Palmer with five games left in the 2012 season. This season, Loggains will make changes to try to take greater advantage of Jake Locker's skill set. The team is expected to get the third-year quarterback outside the pocket more often, giving him more options to run. The Titans will also continue to lean on a running game that now includes veteran Shonn Greene backing up Chris Johnson.

Quarterbacks: The Titans need Locker to do two things this fall: play better and stay healthy. Locker missed five games last season because of a left shoulder that separated repeatedly. Aside from a Week 3 performance against the Lions when he threw for 378 yards and two touchdowns, Locker didn't have a lot of highlight moments in 2012. He had shoulder surgery in January and is on track to be ready for training camp.

With another offseason under his belt and a revamped offensive line in front of him, the Titans believe Locker will settle in and play much better this fall. He looked jittery at times last season, his first as the starter. It's unclear how much of that had to do with his injury, a shaky offensive line, or perhaps something else.

Regardless, the Titans will have a new fall-back plan in place for this fall. After parting ways with veteran Matt Hasselbeck, the Titans signed former Bills starter Ryan Fitzpatrick to a two-year, $6.5 million deal in March. Fitzpatrick knows his role, for now, is to back up Locker and be ready in the event he's injured.
Rusty Smith is in line to be the team's No. 3 quarterback once again. GRADE: C+

Running backs:Chris Johnson didn't think he needed help, but the Titans gave him company in the backfield nonetheless with the addition of Shonn Greene from the New York Jets. And that should give the Titans a pretty potent 1-2 punch.

Johnson has racked up 6,888 yards in his first five NFL seasons, and he performed well last fall before the offensive line was decimated. Still, with some breakaway runs, he showed he still has the explosiveness he became known for when he entered the league.

Greene, a 1,000-yard rusher the past two seasons, gives the Titans a bruising runner who should complement Johnson well.

It will be interesting to see how the carries are divided. Both backs carried the ball 276 times each last year. Munchak says the Titans will lean on the hot hand and try to build a rotation that makes both players effective. If the Titans can get the running game cranked up, it should make the offense a lot better while taking the pressure off Locker. GRADE: B+

Receivers: The Titans need Kenny Britt to get healthy and to stay out of trouble. They're also banking on Kendall Wright, a first-round pick in 2012, taking a big step forward. He caught a team-high 64 passes as a rookie, and the Titans expect him to be better in Year 2.

Veterans Nate Washington and Damian Williams are capable of providing plenty of help themselves, and with former Texans receiver Kevin Walter now in the fold, Tennessee has a chance to be pretty good here under the direction of new receivers coach Shawn Jefferson. And that was before the Titans picked former University of Tennessee receiver Justin Hunter in the second round of the draft. Can Hunter help as a rookie? The Titans hope so.

But plenty hinges on Britt, who never felt—or looked—right a year after tearing his ACL. Another year removed from surgery and he should be in a better position to make a big impact.

The Titans lost a playmaker when tight end Jared Cook signed with the St. Louis Rams. They signed former San Francisco 49ers tight end Delanie Walker to take his place, and he'll join Craig Stevens and Taylor Thompson. The Titans will line Walker up in a number of positions, and he should make a big contribution. GRADE: B

Line: No position saw more of a transformation in the offseason than the offensive line.

Steve Hutchinson retired, and the Titans signed former Bills guard Andy Levitre to a $46.8 million contract on the first day of free agency with the plan to plug him in at left guard. In the draft, the Titans snagged Alabama's Chance Warmack, and he's expected to take ownership of the right guard spot despite the offseason additions of former Rams center/guard Rob Turner and former Bears center/guard Chris Spencer.

The team needed a shakeup following a year when four of the team's starting offensive linemen from training camp went down with injuries.

The Titans remain solid at tackle with Michael Roos (left side) and David Stewart (right). They improved their depth at the position recently by signing Barry Richardson, who started all 16 games for the Rams last season.

Fernando Velasco, who started all 16 games in 2012, will be in the mix at center again, but he'll have competition from Brian Schwenke, the team's fourth-round pick, among others. The Titans have plenty of options if they need to shuffle the deck in the middle. GRADE: B+

Gregg Williams will work alongside defensive coordinator Jerry Gray as a senior assistant to try to repair a unit that allowed a franchise record for points in 2012. The Titans were way too passive a year ago, and they paid for it with big plays and an embarrassing number of points.

With Williams helping call the shots, the Titans won't be as predictable. They'll be more aggressive in trying to get to the quarterback with blitzes. Look for the team to show more looks in the 3-4 this fall but primarily line up in the 4-3. They just hope to execute the plan better in 2013.

Line: Tennessee didn't get as much as it had hoped from Kamerion Wimbley in his first season as a Titan. The defensive end, who signed a $35 million deal last offseason, managed just six sacks. The team was pleased with fellow end Derrick Morgan's progress a year ago, however. He led the team with 6.5 sacks and 19 quarterback pressures.

The Titans need to be more disruptive in 2013, and the presence of some newcomers should help. They added a 330-pounder in the middle in ex-Lions tackle Sammie Hill. Former Chiefs defensive lineman Ropati Pitoitua (6-8, 315 pounds) gives the team a greater physical presence as well. Tackles Jurrell Casey and Mike Martin should be disruptive in the interior, making this a pretty formidable bunch inside.

The Titans got additional help here in the form of linebacker Akeem Ayers during the latter portion of last season. Ayers lined up as a rusher on many downs, and he finished the year with six sacks. Look for the Titans to turn him loose even more this season. GRADE: C

Linebackers: The future looks bright here, but plenty hinges on Colin McCarthy's health in the middle. On the outside, Zach Brown was impressive during the last half of his rookie season. He made some game-changing plays and should make a bigger impact in his second NFL season.

Ayers lined up in a number of spots and made plays on a more consistent basis. Physically, he's one of the team's most impressive players. McCarthy frustrated the Titans, however. The team hopes the middle linebacker can shake his injury bug in his third NFL campaign. McCarthy, voted a captain before last season, missed nine games because of an ankle injury and concussion symptoms. The Titans missed his presence in the middle and are banking on him being healthy this fall. They should be in a better place if he's unable to do so after signing former former Colts linebacker Moise Fokou, who can play inside and outside.

Secondary: The Titans gave up way too many big plays in the secondary a year ago, so priority No.1 heading into 2013 will be to find a way to make big improvements on the back end.

Michael Griffin has dazzled fans with impressive plays, but he has also frustrated those around him with his inconsistency. The Titans upgraded the talent around him this offseason and are hoping it pays off.

Former Ravens safety Bernard Pollard was signed to provide a greater physical presence. The Titans also added ex-Bills safety George Wilson. The two will give the team a greater veteran presence, and they'll also allow Griffin to settle in to his spot at free safety without having to be moved, which happened several times a year ago.

Veteran cornerback Jason McCourty is coming off a solid 2012 season, and underrated cornerback Alterraun Verner also returns. During the latter part of the 2012 campaign, the team gained a greater confidence in Coty Sensabaugh, who finished the season at the nickel and will aim to keep the job this fall.

Tommie Campbell failed to win a starting job a year ago, and hopes to boost his stock in training camp.

The Titans definitely upgraded the roster during the offseason. The offense should be more potent with an improved line and a better running game, and the addition of Gregg Williams to the coaching staff should provide a spark to the defense.

So can the Titans make significant strides in 2013? In reality, their fate hinges largely on Jake Locker and what kind of progress he makes in his second year as a starter. If Locker improves, the Titans could be in the mix for a playoff spot. If not, coach Mike Munchak and his staff could be out of their jobs at season's end.